Valve construction for fluid pressure brake systems



March 16, 1965 H. M. VALENTINE 3,173,653

VALVE CONSTRUCTION FOR FLUID PRESSURE BRAKE SYSTEMS Filed Oct. 5, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C Wu 5 9 78 74 88 52 I24 QIL 26 '2} g 4), 08 INVENTOR.

H 2 (yaw! W ATTORNEYJ March 16, 1965 H. M. VALENTINE 3,173,653

VALVE CONSTRUCTION FOR FLUID PRESSURE BRAKE SYSTEMS Filed Oct. 5, 1961 2 Sheets$heet 2 FIG. 3

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,173,653 VALVE CONSTRUCTION FOR FLUID PRESSURE BRAKE SYSTEMS Harry M. Valentine, Elyria, Ohio, assignor to Bendix- Westinghouse Automotive Air Brake Company, Elyria, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 142,725 1 Claim. (Cl. 251-358) 'This invention relates to a valve construction which may be employed in compressed air operated brake systems for vehicles of the type including one or more spring actuators for applying the brakes through the action of a spring under certain conditions.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel control valve construction for a system of the above type, which is automatically operable to allow the safety spring brake actuators to apply the brakes when the sys tem pressure drops to a predetermined value, and which is also manually operable at any time in order to apply the spring brakes for parking or for emergency operation.

Another object includes the provision of a novel valve of the above type'which comprises relatively few parts and which may be readily connected in existing types of con- .ventional air brake systems.

Still another object is to provide a novel valve member of deformable material which is so supported as to prevent variations in the effective valve area; to minimize leakage of fluid when the valve member is'closed upon its seat, and to provide a relatively thick section in the region subject to impact forces when the valve member is closed.

. .The above and further objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose one form of the invention. It will be expressly understood, however,

that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not to be taken as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a safety brake systern embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of a control valve for use in the system of FIG. 1, the valve being shown in open or emergency position; v

FIG. 3 is a partial view in section of, the valve of FIG. 2 shown in closed or released position; and FIG. 4 is a modified form of valve element.

The novel safety brake system of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 in connection with a conventional type of air brake system for use on tractor vehicles. More particularly, the system includes a compressor 19, for supplying compressed air to series-connected reservoirs 12 and -14-through a conduit 16, the compressor having the usual unloader 18 controlled by a conventional governor 20 through conduits 22 and 24 connected with an outlet or tractor emergency conduit 26. A suitable pressure gage 28 is connected with the conduit 24 andaconventional low pressure indicator 3% is connected with a conduit 32 inter-connecting conduit 24 with a manually operable selflapping brake valve 34 which may be of any suitable type. Brake valve 34 may be provided with two outlet conduits for supplying the service brake chambers 36 and 38 on the tractor and for cha'rging'the trailer service conduit 40 shown in the patent to Earl T. Andrews No. 2,850,330-

"ice

dated September 2, 1958. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that valve 48 is for the purpose of conserving in the tractor brake system a predetermined air pressure in the event of leakage in the trailer brake system or a break-in-two of the connected vehicles. Outlet conduit 50 is connected with conduit 52 which in turn is connected with the brake chamber 38 and with brake chamber 36, it being obvious that due to the connections just de scribed, application of the brake valve 34 will simultaneously charge the conduits 42, 50 and 52 to apply the trailer and tractor brakes in service. If desired, a hand operated brake valve 54 of conventional construction may be connected to the double check valve 44 and the conduit 32 by means of conduits 56 and 58, such valve enabling the operator to charge the conduits 46 and 40 to apply the brakes on the trailer at any time that such valve is moved to a position to connect conduits 56 and 58. Normally the valve 54 occupies a position where communication between conduits 56 and 58 is interrupted. Tractor emergency conduit 26 is connected with trailer emergency conduit 60 through the tractor protection 48.

The novel safety brake actuators and control valve of the present invention are interconnected and associated with the above-described conventional vehicle air brake system in order to provide a relatively simple but highly efficient combined spring operated and compressed air controlled brake system. As shown, the invention includes a pair of spring actuators 62 and 64 of similar construction, actuator 62 being connected through a piston rod 66 with the brake applying arm or slack adjustor 68 while the actuator 64 is connected through a piston rod 70 with the brake applying arm or slack adjuster 72. Actuators 62 and 64 include a chamber or cylinder '74 in which a piston 76 is slidably mounted, the latter being rigidly connected with the piston rod 66. A spring 78 constantly tends to move the piston 76 toward the left, as viewed in FIG. 1, to apply the brake through the rod 66, and does apply the brake when the air pressure in the brake system drops to a predetermined pressure as for example, 40 p.s.i. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the spring actuators 62 and 64 are illustrated in applied position and it is assumed that no pressure is present in the system. Under these conditions, piston rods 66 and 7 ti are moved toward the left to apply the brakes through the pin and slot connections 80 and 82. It will be understood that during such brake of brake rods 84 and 86 respectively associated with brake chambers 36 and 38 will occur, due to pin and slot connections 88 and 90. With the above arrangement, it will be understood that whenever the actuators 62 and 64 occupy the position illustrated in FIG. 1, the tractor brakes are applied by spring action.

Novel means are employed by the present invention in order to control the spring actuators 62 and 64. As shown, such means includes a two-position control valve 92, to be described hereinafter in detail, which in one position is adapted to conduct reservoir pressure from the conduit 26 to the spring actuators 62 and 64 to the left of the pistons 76 therein by way of supply conduit 94 and conduits 96, 98 and 100. Under these conditions, as soon as the pressure admitted to actuators 62 and 64 reaches a predetermined pressure, as for example about 40 p.s.i., pistons 76 will be moved to compress the springs 78 and release the brakes.

In the other position of the control valve 92, the supply conduit 94 is shut off and the conduit 96 is connected to atmosphere through an exhaust 124 of valve 92 to permit application of the brakes by means of the spring actuators 62 and 64. Conduits 98 and 100 are connected through a quick release valve 106 of well known construction such as for example, as shown in the patent of Earl T. Andrews No. 2,718,897 dated September 27, 1955. Such valves include an exhaust connection 108 which automatically would vent the conduits 98 and mil-whenever. the pressure in conduit 96 drops to a value slightly lower than that in the conduits 98 and 100... In thelform shown, the exhaust 108 is connected through a conduit109 with theoutl'etor service conduit- 50: With such. an arrangement; fluidpressure maybe conducted'to the spriug brakeactuators'by of the spring 142 until the fluid pressure in the chamber drops to the minimum value, whereupon the spring 142 movesthe valve to the position of FIG. 2.

In a valve of the typeshown in FIGS. 2 and'3, it is important that the areas ofithebeads 134'and 138 which respectively constitute inlet. and 'exhaustvalve partsbe mainway of conduit 96jor by conduit 109* dependingupon which pressureis greater.

Aswill appear. more fully hereinafter, valve 92 maybe manually movedto the two positions referred to above. Such valve is also constructed as to be automatically movable from the said-one to the said. otherposition to automatically permit spring brake. actuation-wheneverthesystem. pressure in supply conduit. 94.drops to-a predetermined pressure ofvapproximately 40p .s.i. Thus the in'-' vention provides an effective. safety system for automatically andgmechanicallyapplying'the tra'ctorbrakes when-- ever thesystern pressuredropsbelow a value where it wouldbe unsafe to operate the vehicle andto rely on air braking alone.

The. system ofFIG. 1 also includes ajoontrol line .110

for the tractor protection valve 48zwhich is connected with the conduit 96. through a trailertwo-way control valve 112 and conduit 114. 7 Such valve is of conventionalconstruca.

tion' and arranged so that in normal position, compressed air may flow from the conduit96' to the control chamber of valve 48.. When the valve is normally moved toemergency position however, such flow isinterrupted and the control line 110:is vented to atmosphere via anexhaust port 116'in the valve 112. in order to allow the tractor emergency line .60 to be vented to atmospheregthrough the valve 48 and'thuspermit a compressed air emergency i brake application on the trailer. Suchan emergency trailer application would" also occur with the valve 112in1the normal position should the conduit 96 be vented: toatmosphere via control'valve 92" andthe exhaust 102h Un'der such conditions, the tractor brakes wouldjalso be autot matically appliedby the spring brake actuators 62 and-64 as above set'forth'. a Referring moreparticularly to'FIGS'. 2 and 3, the novel two-position control valve 92.is illustrated therein as in-,'

cluding a casing 118' provided. with; inlet, outlet-and' exhaust ports-1'21), 122'and 124, the ports 120and'l22; being respectively adapted to be connected with conduits 9 4 and '96. CasingII-Sfis also'providecl' with abore' 126for slidably-receiyinga valverplunger 128 having an O-ringseal 130.; The lower end of the plunger-128' carries a valve 7 member 132Tofrubbery material having aninlet valve'on its upper. ft-16651811 ;-exhaust valve on its lower facejthe valve member-132' being of annular sleeve-like shape and I being directly supported-by angannular, rnctallic'valve'inssert' orsupporting member 133 which isysecured to'thel lower end of the plunger 1 28by a nut 135.v The inlet valve is'constituted by an annular bead 13.4 adapted tocontact a face 136 of the casing 118while the: exhaust'valve is' formed byan annular band 138 adapted to contact a face 140 as showninFlG'. 3. A spring 142kis'confined between .a portion of thecasing 118 and the plunger 128 :and'con stantly tendsto urge the plunger upwardly to maintain the inlet valve 134 closed; When closed, the area of the an- I 0, v 6 conduits SQand-SZ as well as conduit 109', quick release nularbead' 134' is less than the area of the ring 130 so; that I when the valve. 92 is in the closed or emergency position of FIG. 2, the valve will remain in such position even though the pressure at the 'port rises to full reservoir pressure.

The valve -.1.nay owever, 'be manual y j id to t P sition shown. in FIG. 3-, in which event it willi'remain'in' su h p sit n prov ded. the pressu e w th u hambe above the. valve 132 isahoite. theminimum pressuneof approximately 40 p,s.i.' This is due to the area; of the ex haust, valve bead 138, w ich' s cons dera y r e tha h tained constant durin-g opera tionr of thevalve in order to pre t an riatis in-- ts lt nt fqrmst n h al s du o thelfluidiprsssureac n aonrthei areas-of; he e For example, in FIG. -2'*there may;he.a rtendencyfonthe area of t-h bead134to increase due :toa radially outward flow of the rubbery and flexible-material of the valve in response to fiuid pressure acting O L the inner surface of the bead1134.

which are respectively received within: and interlocked with; complementary annulargrooves-1'58 fromed in the valve memben15'4: It-will-be-understood-that the exterior facesof the valve member 154 are providedwithftheinletand outlet valve beads 13 4 and138 andwthat the operation of theform of the invention oi FIG, 4 is the same as that shownin FIGS; 2 and-3.

As-clearlysl1own in 4-, the ribs 156 are. positioned between the inner collar of member 1521and the axially aligned innermost beads 1'34. Thisbonstruction provides a substantial' fseal between the collar and-"rib 152 to prevent' leakage of fluid thev positionh of FIG." 2. 'In addition, this arrangement prevents the outward flow or distortion of; the annular bead' 13 4; while ensuring a relatively thick scction ofthe valvemember- 154; under thebead to' efiiciently withstand the impact forces to which the bead 'is subjected during operation of'thevalv'e. 7

a In operation, it is assumed that, in hithere iSIlO. air pressure in the systemand' that the spring brake actuators 62'and'64are in the position shown so that the vehicle b akes a s lz i dbx the s t t of t 'sr ngsrn.

' Valve, 92 i'sin theemergency orgopen position-of 2 where the port 122 is connected with; the exhaust 12.4 in

orderrt'o' vent, the ,condui tf96 to; atmosphere. .1' Under i these conditions conduits 1 0% 50,; seam; 100? are also vented toLtheatmo'spherethrough} the exhaust; 104

' bf. h br k v ve"i nle v llv lfl. i lq d a d. wi

remain. closed until manually moved; regardlessofi the buildup of pressure at; port 120, as heretofore described.

Under the "above conditions, operation of the cornpresser ltlywill charge the reservoirs'; 12and'14'as well a as conduits 24 -32; and 94 to fullreservoir pressure. The

operator, who must: be; in'theiv'ehicle' cab, may now operatel the brake valve 34 whichj simultaneously charges a -e106 c9 duits1 f8an .1 nd pr n b t r i 2' 64]. Charging-of, service brakechambers 36 and bore 126.; Hence the valve 1-32 ispressure, responsiv gby 7' reasonof the. pressure acting on the uppersurfacethereof over the areaof the bead 138;tomaintain thef-valyeclosed; against the, force effectiveon thering and the force 3,8- w illi then gradually apply; the braltesthrough 'the slack adi'u s '6 a d "l ng st M lit ns' e tllato rs 2. ia d. 6 4; onzthe :sl-ack adjustersis gradually released.- Thus theslack' adjusters and brake Patts are not sirrnllt ane'ou sly subjected to the combinediaction of the spring. brake actuators #and the service brake chambers which 1 otherwise would'result in'eircessive' forces being applie -toit 'ebrak arts. v. Y 'Aszsoon.asthejprfessureiwithinthe a a 64hs built up to a'value above theminimurn'value of approximately, "4 si, 01 effect a release the spring 75; .gbrake application; the operatq yf t y 93 9 35 mo pressure when the; valve occupies.

valve 92 from the position of FIG. 2 to that of FIG. 3 whereupon full reservoir pressure will be conducted to the actuators 62 and 64 by way of conduits 26 and 96, valve 92, conduit 96, quick release valve 106 and conduits 98 and 100, and valve 92 will remain in such position as heretofore described. Valve 92 thus effectively locks reservoir pressure in the actuators 62 and 64 in order to maintain them in released position after they have been released by operation of the brake valve.

The vehicle may then be operated in the same manner as any vehicle equipped with a conventional air brake system. The valve 92 may be manually moved to its emergency position of FIG. 2 at any time, as for example, when it is desired to park the vehicle. When this occurs conduit 96 is connected with the exhaust port 124- and the spring brake actuators are vented to atmosphere through the brake valve as heretofore described.

It will also be recalled that in the event the system pressure drops to a minimum value of approximately 40 p.s.i., the valve 92 will automatically move to the position of FIG. 2 to cause a spring brake operation. In either of the above events, the spring brake actuators may be released by operation of the brake valve 34 as heretofore described, provided the system pressure is above the minimum value.

Should the pressure in the system be less than the minimum value, the spring brake actuators Will remain in applied position and the operator will be apprised that some leakage exists and repairs must be made. During such low pressure conditions, the valve 92 will remain in the position shown in FIG. 2. Even if the operator manually pushes in on the handle 162, the valve 92 will immediately return to the emergency position since a system pressure in excess of the minimum pressure is required to maintain the valve in the position of FIG. 3.

This application is a continuation-impart of application Serial Number 42,876, filed July 14, 1960, for Brake System and Control Valve Therefor now Patent No. 3,095,244 dated June 25, 1963. The present invention thus provides in a conventional vehicle air brake system, a novel construction which enables a. fail safe brake application through mechanical means in the event that the system pressure drops below a safe operating value. An effective parking brake is also secured which is independent of the air pressure in the system. The aforesaid mehcanical means is disclosed as a spring brake actuator capable of fluid pressure release and such actuator has been incorporated in the system in such a manner as to be automatically operable to apply and release the brakes in a manner requiring no special operations or techniques on the part of the operator,

The two-position control valve is mounted in the vehicle cab so as to be readily operable at any time, and in conjunction with the brake valve, constitutes a convenient and efficient control for the spring brake actuators. The valve 132 of the control valve 92 in addition to being manually movable is arranged as to be responsive to reservoir or system pressure in such a manner as to maintain the spring brake actuators in released position so long as the system pressure remains above a predetermined minimum.

While the invention has been shown and described herein with considerable particularity, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a wide variety of changes may be made therein Without departing from the spirit of the invention. Reference will therefore be had to the appended claim for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A valve comprising a plunger provided with an annular valve supporting member having upper and lower parallel surfaces each of which is formed with an annular rib, said member having a collar surrounding said plunger and said ribs being substantially axially aligned and being spaced outwardly of said collar, and an annular valve member formed of deformable material surrounding said supporting member and provided with annular grooves for respectivly receiving said annular ribs, each of the opposite sides of said valve member being formed to provide a pair of concentrically arranged annular beads the innermost beads of each pair being substantially axially aligned and said ribs being positioned between said collar and said innermost beads.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,352,735 9/20 Egerton 251358 1,595,459 8/26 Durant et al 137-32904 1,623,557 4/27 Rybeck 137625.27 2,093,662 9/37 Steirly 137-51629 2,329,576 9/43 Anderson 1375l6.29 2,616,658 11/52 Dombeck l37-625.5 2,638,108 5/53 Williams et a1. 137102 2,851,056 9/58 MacGlashan 137-464 2,902,249 9/59 Meusy 251-358 XR 3,087,760 4/63 Valentine et a1. 303.50 XR 3,092,145 6/63 Brinkel 137625.27 XR M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Examiner. 

